The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 
Starring the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and Jeffery Tambor. 
Rated PG. 

Reviewed by Robyn Ludwig

Consider yourself warned: the following review was written by a die-hard SpongeBob SquarePants fan, a grown woman who has seen every television episode and is the proud owner of the complete line of ancillary merchandise, including a jumbo SpongeBob plush toy that sits in a place of prominence in her living room.  But if you already know the answer to the question, "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" then you are sure to enjoy The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, the latest in a growing list of small-screen Nickelodeon fads brought to the silver screen. 

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie starts off with naïve, eternally-optimistic invertebrate SpongeBob (Kenny) anxiously awaiting a much-deserved promotion from his job as fry cook at the burger joint The Krusty Krab to manager of the newly opened Krusty Krab 2. When the raise is given to his slothful cantankerous co-worker Squidward, a distraught SpongeBob goes on a ice-cream bender with his dim-witted but sympathetic starfish friend Patrick Star (Fagerbakke).  All the while, rival restaurateur/evil genius Sheldon J. Plankton has hatched a diabolical scheme to steal the crown of King Neptune (Tambour) and frame Krusty Krab owner Eugene Krabs, in order to lure customers away to The Chum Bucket, and brainwash everyone in the town of Bikini Bottom.  Only SpongeBob and Patrick can retrieve the crown, save Mr. Krabs from execution, and rescue the town from the clutches of megalomaniacal Plankton.

Since his television series debut back in April 1999, SpongeBob has not only tapped into the imaginations of toddlers from 2 to 11 years old, he has also developed a massive cult following among college-aged stoners and the gay community.  With 22% of viewers in the 18 to 49 range, and more than $500 million dollars in merchandise sales, SpongeBob continues to rank among the most popular (and profitable) shows on cable TV.  Although the movie is just a 30-minute episode stretched out thin to 90 minutes, the sight gags are consistently entertaining, the dialogue is sharp and filled with irony, the surreal seascapes are richly colourful, and the main characters are just so darn appealing.  Despite the PG rating, the film is family friendly, and the underlying message is handled subtly without the Disney-style moralizing.  And older audiences will find the David Hasselhoff cameo downright hilarious (albeit very unsettling).  While it lacks the technological innovations that The Incredibles and Polar Express achieved, SpongeBob is traditional cell animation at its best: irreverent, hallucinogenic, and fun for any adult in touch with their inner child.